ᒍᐤᐣ ᒥᑫᐪ ᕒᐅᐯᕒᐟ ᑯᕒᐯᐟ ᓂᐟᓯᑯᓴᐣ - Jon Michael (Robert) Corbett nitsikosan.

  My name is Jon Michael Robert Corbett. I was born in Edmonton, AB, Canada, but I currently live in Kelowna, BC. My father is Metis (Cree/Saulteaux & English), and my mother was of Ukranian descent. A majority of my childhood was spent in Kelowna, BC, where I was first exposed to computer programming at the age of 10, learning multiple forms of BASIC on Commodore and Apple computers. I wrote my first text-adventure video game at age 11, and experimented with graphic additons for text-based games for several years. At the time I started working with computers I also started drawing and painting. I progressed to databasing and advancement computer programming through my teenage years (primarily self-taught), and entered MacEwan University's Diploma of Fine Art program after completing high school. After starting my BFA at the University of Alberta, I started working for United Parcel Service, where I am currently the senior web programmer for UPS Canada specializing in centralized and de-centralized large-scale data repository and logistics web portals. Though I have a well-established career in technology, I completed an MFA at the University of British Columbia in 2015 merging my technology skills with my artistic practice, and am currently pursuing my PhD that contiues this exploration. My research proposal focuses on the lack of cultural representation in programming languages, and I am building an Indigenous computer programming language based on the Cree language and syllabary. I currently reside in Kelowna, BC, where I am also a sessional faculty member at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies teaching Introduction to Digital Media.